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DAY 1
ISTANBUL
Arrive in
Istanbul, and transfer to your hotel. After a short tour briefing, the
rest of the day is free to rest, relax or walk around to explore the
city. Welcome dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ). [ D ]
DAY 2 ISTANBUL
We spend the
full day visiting the sights of Old Istanbul. We will begin at the
ancient Hippodrome which was the center of the civil activities
back in the Hellenistic and Roman times. At the Hippodrome the chariot
and horse races and athletic runs took place for the entertainment of
the people of Constantinople. We walk to the nearby Ibrahim
Pasha Palace which houses the Museum of
Turkish and Islamic Art where we will see an
impressive exhibit from the various periods of Turkish and Islamic art,
ranging in date from the 7th C. to the 19th. Then we proceed to the
Blue Mosque, famous for its blue tiles covering its interior
walls and also for its six minarets which is a unique feature of this
mosque. Nearby is Hagia Sophia Museum, the former
Cathedral of Constantinople, considered as the masterpiece of the early
Byzantine architecture. Hagia Sophia is renowned for its superb mosaic
decoration as well as its architectural style. Back in Byzantine Empire,
most emperors were crowned in this cathedral after a special ceremony.
After lunch we will visit the Topkapi Palace, residence
and administrative center of the Ottoman Sultans. In the grounds of the
Topkapi Palace are many courtyards surrounded by old buildings each
housing small museums with exhibits of jewelry, costumes, calligraphy
and various objects that belonged to the Imperial treasury of the
Ottoman Sultans. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ).
[ B L D ]
DAY 3 ANTAKYA
Morning
flight to Adana. After a short drive we will arrive at Tarsus
where the apostle St. Paul was born and Antony met Cleopatra. Tarsus
with its Ottoman houses, rambling streets and some ancient monuments is
a charming town. Our tour in Tarsus will include the St. Paul's well,
from which it is believed that St. Paul drank water. We proceed to the
Roman gate known as Cleopatra's gate or St. Paul's gate,
afterwards we will visit the Tarsus Museum which is housed in the
Kubad Pasha Medrese, an old Ottoman bedesten from the 16th C. The museum
has in its cells, many ancient artifacts, sarcophagi and coins from
Assyrian, Hittite, Roman and Byzantine periods, as well as a rich
ethnographical section from the Ottoman times. We will have some time in
colorful bazaar area for the shopping of traditional products of
Tarsus. We will drive through Adana, ancient Danunas, pleasantly laid
our along the banks of the Seyhan river. After the junction, near the
town Dortyol was the site of famous battle of Ipsus, a critical battle
which took place between Alexander the Great and Darius the Persian king
in 333 BC. Before Antakya we will drive by Iskenderun, ancient
Alexandretta, a city built by Alexander the great. Dinner and overnight
at your Hotel ( ANTAKYA ). [ B L D ]
DAY 4 ADIYAMAN
Antakya
was ancient Antiocheia on the Orontes or known as Antioch was founded by
the Seleucus I Nicator the king of Seleucus kingdom in about 300 BC.
Antioch, in the Roman ages, was one of the four largest cities in the
world. In the early Christian era, Antioch was an important center, and
here Christians came to be called by this name first time. During our
city tour, we will visit the Antakya's Archaeological Museum
which has one of the largest collections of Roman and Byzantine mosaics
in the world. This museum is a testimony to Antakya's glorious past. In
addition to superb mosaics, there are also fine marble sarcophagi with
elaborate carvings, along with some statues and other archaeological
items. Later we drive out the suburbs of the city to the Grotto of
St. Peter. Saint Peter chose Antioch as the base for his first
mission among the unbelievers. St. Peter's church is tucked into the
face of a steep cliff. Although the facade of the present-day church
comes from the 13th C., the caves behind this facade housed some of the
Christianity's earliest liturgies. St. Peter's church may easily be the
oldest working church in the world, as St. Peter preached here and
services are still held here today. From the terrace of the church you
can get a full panoramic view of the city. Excursion to Harbiye
which occupies the site of Ancient Daphne where according to myth the
nymph Daphne, pursued by Apollo, was transformed into a laurel tree.
Returning to the city center, we will take a walk in the old quarters
for possible shopping possibilities for traditional products. Drive to
Adiyaman crossing Euphrates, the great river of the Old Testament
which is the main water source for this part of Turkey and Syria. Dinner
and overnight at your Hotel ( ADIYAMAN ). [ B L D ]
DAY 5 URFA
Early
morning departure for Mount Nemrut where we will see colossal
statue heads of the Gods and Antiochus around the king Antiochus' burial
mound. We will leave our bus in the town, and take minivans up the
mountain. It is astonishing to see a monumental burial mound built 2,000
years ago, on the summit of a mountain with an elevation of 6,000 feet.
Antiochus was the king of Commagene kingdom in this area from 69 to 34
BC. And before his death he ordered this colossal burial mound which was
built by the workers who carried up the hill tons of apple-sized rocks
and piled them over the his grave. The king's tomb, as yet undiscovered,
may lie somewhere beneath this pile. The mound has two huge terraces
(east and west) connected by footpaths each holding the seated stone
gods whose heads had fallen to the ground. Also, the statue heads of
colossal size scatter around the terraces. On the way back from the
mountain, we will stop at the Cendere Bridge, over the river by
the same name, one of the tributaries of Euphrates, was built by the
Roman legionaries and dedicated to the emperor Septimius Severus. This
almost original bridge is one of the best examples of the Roman
engineering. Drive to Urfa with photo stops on a road along the
Euphrates. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( URFA ). [ B L D
]
Day 6 URFA
Modern
Urfa (officially Sanliurfa) was ancient native Orhai before Seleucus
the successor of Alexander the great changed its name to Edessa after a
city in Macedonia. Urfa is full of surprises, with its Arabic culture,
colorful people, old historical buildings and mosques, bazaars. Today,
we will begin at the citadel of the town where a crusader
fortress stands with two tall columns known to locals as the throne of
Nimrod. From top of the citadel, we will have a nice panorama of the
city which looks interesting with its boxy houses built of sun-dried
bricks in light beige color. Returning from the citadel, we will take a
walk in the beautiful flower-filled gardens along the Pools of
Abraham with their maze of canals full of thousands of carp fish
which are held sacred and fed by the local people. We will walk to the
Cave of Abraham where, according to local legend, the prophet Abraham
was born here. We will walk in the colorful bazaar of Urfa
located in the old city, where vendors sell almost anything you can
imagine. Particularly Gumruk Han which is a 16th C. Ottoman
caravanserai is an interesting place as a social gathering place for
local men who sit on low wooden chairs in a shady courtyard, chatting
and enjoying their tea. In the afternoon, we will make an excursion to
the ancient town of Harran, with its beehive-style houses which
hadn't changed much since ancient times. Harran is mentioned in Genesis
in the old testament, the patriarch Abraham was instructed by the God to
move along with his family to Canaan from Ur, on his way, he dwelt here
for a while. Harran is a fortified city with its defense walls going all
around the town, also when it was occupied by the crusaders, they built
a strong fortress which still stand there today. Harran has been an
important cultural center since the early times, and is claimed to have
the earliest University in the world whose ruins are still visible at
the site. We will return to Urfa, those who want to spend more time in
the bazaar, they will do so as our hotel is within the walking distance
from the bazaar area. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel (
URFA ). [ B L D ]
DAY 7 VAN
Drive to
Van. Today, we head east making spontaneous stops for photography. We
will drive by the city Diyarbakir built on the banks of the Tigris
river. After a few miles we will come to the Malabadi Koprusu, a
beautiful stone bridge with its enormous single arch on the Tigris
river, built by the Artukids in 12th C. We will drive on with photo
stops to photograph villages, shepherds and people on our way. Dinner
and overnight at your Hotel Van ( VAN ). [ B L D ]
DAY 8 VAN
Van
is located about 3 miles east of the lake shore, however Van has its
origin in Tushpa, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Urartu, Tushpa
had its citadel on a rocky outcrop on the edge of lake. The lake Van is
the largest in Turkey and navigable with its depth in some parts
reaching 330 feet. In the morning, we will begin our tour with the
Van Museum, which houses in the ethnographic section, a nice
collection of local crafts, rugs and kilims, in a separate
archaeological section, findings, statues and bronze objects from the
Urartian sites in the area. After a short drive along the lake we will
take the boat to the tiny island of Akdamar that has on
its hillside, an old 10th C. Armenian Church of the Holy Cross, built by
the rulers of the Armenian kingdom of Vaspurakan. The church is renowned
for its superb sculptures and carvings on its exterior walls depicting
scenes from the Old Testament. In the afternoon, we will take an
excursion to Cavustepe, a Urartian fortified city built on a
narrow ridge overlooking the surrounding plain below, the city was built
in the 8th C. BC. We will afterwards continue to the castle of Hosap
which sits alone in the midst of desolate hills above a stream of the
same name. The castle was probably built by several local chieftains in
the 17th C, and one of the most picturesque sites in Turkey. Returning
to Van, we will have time for walking in the local bazaar to look
for local crafts. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel Van ( VAN ).
[ B L D ]
DAY 9 KARS
Drive to
Kars. On our way, we will visit Ishak Pasha Palace, in the town
of Dogubeyazit near the foot of Mount Ararat, which was built in the
18th and 19th C., by Ishak Pasha who was the local ruler in this area in
Ottoman period. The palace is a large complex built on a rocky outcrop
with a nice view of the surrounding area, and when it was built had
probably more than 300 rooms and halls. After the palace, we will stop
to photograph the great Mountain of Ararat one of the main themes
in the Old Testament. As we drive north along the foot of Mount Ararat,
this great mountain will stay within our view for hours, with its all
mighty look and snow capped summit. We will drive on along the banks of
the Arpacay stream which forms the border with Armenia. Dinner and
overnight at your Hotel ( KARS ). [ B L D ]
DAY 10 ERZURUM
Kars
with its Russian imperial architecture is a charming city, it used to be
one of the dustiest and dirtiest cities in Turkey, however, the recent
years' work by the town municipality turned this city to one of the most
desirable places of visit, with its pedestrian streets closed to car
traffic. Kars is another old city whose origins go back at least to 8th
C. BC. We will begin our tour in the morning, with the Kars Museum
which displays exhibits a few finds from excavations of the ancient town
of Ani, and some more ethnographic items. We will journey to the
ruins of the Armenian Ghost town of Ani which is one of the most
spectacular sites in Turkey. It is situated right on the high banks of
the Arpacay stream which forms the border with Armenia. Ani was a
sizable city in the medieval period, when it became the capital of the
kingdom of Armenia in the 10th C. We will enter the site through the
massive double walls and the Lion Gate, and take a walk around the site
to see its cathedral, a dozen churches with frescoes and murals on their
walls. Returning to Kars, we will drive on a scenic road along the Aras
river which was the major road between Anatolia and Iran. We will stop
at the 14th C. magnificent Mongolian Cobandede bridge, which spans the
Aras river and offers a nice photo possibility. We will arrive at
Erzurum in late afternoon. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel (
ERZURUM ). [ B L D ]
DAY 11 TRABZON
Erzurum
with a population of 300,000, is the largest and most important city in
Eastern Turkey. It is also one of the most popular ski centers in the
country. Erzurum is an old city with origins going back to Hittite era.
Erzurum has well preserved collection of monuments of the Mongol, Selcuk
and Ottoman Architecture and also colorful bazaars. During our city tour
of Erzurum, we will visit the Cifte Minareli Medrese (Medrese
with Twin Minarets-theological school), built by the Selcuks in the 13th
C. This Medrese is the largest of its kind in Anatolia and has very
impressive portal gate decorated with various motifs. We will walk to
the right of the Medrese to visit the Ulu Cami (Great Mosque), the
oldest mosque in the city, built in the 12 C. by the Saltukid dynasty.
We will return to the town center to see more famous monuments such as
Yakutiye Medrese, built by the Mongol military governor in the
14th C. Yakutiye Medrese has a striking external features on its 20
foot-high-portal, with carvings of mixed motifs of plants, stars, and
two lions and an eagle. We will have time to stroll in the bazaar
area, where they sell jewelry mad from local Oltu stone (kind of jet
stone) which the city is famous for, and you will find more traditional
products like wool caps and socks, women's wool wraps and shawls.
Enroute to Trabzon we will visit the famous Soumela Monastery
with its unique setting, hanging from the face of the steep cliff.
Soumela was supposedly founded first in the 4 C., and re-founded in the
14th. C, by the Comneni dynasty of the Byzantine empire. We will drive
through the Pontic mountains and Zigana pass which was the major
route in ancient times between the Black sea and hinterlands as it is
today. Dinner and overnight at your Hotel ( TRABZON ). [ B L D ]
DAY 12 TRABZON
Trabzon
is an old city, with its earlier name Trebizond and ancient name
Trapezous. Trabzon today is a lively city with its ancient monuments,
bazaars and streets lined with shops, and colorful people. We will begin
today with the church of Hagia Sophia, beautifully situated in
the western suburb outside the city walls and overlooking the Black sea.
Hagia Sophia is a great Byzantine monument with its architectural style
and well preserved paintings and frescoes on its interior walls which
present scenes from the New Testament. It was first built probably in
the 4th. C. On the site of a temple erected by the roman emperor
Hadrian, and it was rebuilt by the Comneni dynasty in the 13th C. In the
garden of the Church, there is a small collection of Roman, Byzantine
and Ottoman funerary monuments and fragments of sculpture. We will
return to the town center to spend the afternoon in the colorful
bazaar crowded by locals where you can find almost anything such as
gold, copper, silver, textiles and local products. Dinner and overnight
at your Hotel ( TRABZON ). [ B L D ]
DAY 13 ISTANBUL
We will take
our morning flight back to Istanbul. We will cruise up the Bosphorus
with private boat, sit on the deck and enjoy the nice traditional
water-front houses built by the Ottomans in the last or in the turn of
this century. We will disembark near the Spice bazaar, and
have free time for shopping in the Spice Market where you will find
hundreds of spices and herbs. Spice market was built by the Ottomans in
the 16th C., and has been used as the main market of spices and herbs
since then. We head for the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul,
where will have time for shopping. In the grand bazaar which is an old
ottoman bedesten built in the 15th. C., and said to have about 3,500
shops under its roof, you will find almost anything from souvenirs to
jewelry, from textiles to Turkish ethnographic items. Rest of the
afternoon is at leisure, you may want to stay in the grand bazaar or
stroll through the streets. Overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ).
[ B D ]
DAY 14 ISTANBUL
Today is at
leisure, as our hotel is centrally located, you may wander around the
old town, or walk back to the Grand Bazaar. Special farewell in one of
the nice restaurants. Overnight at your Hotel ( ISTANBUL ). [ B L
D ]
DAY 15 TRANSFER TO AIRPORT
Check-out
and transfer to the airport for your morning flight back home. End of
Services. [ B ]
[ B ] :
Breakfast
[ L ] :
Lunch
[ D
] : Dinner |
